Syllabi for Prof. Edwards

HUM 1020 10415 Fall 2022

HUM 1020
Introduction to Humanities
Professor John Edwards

 

Click here for the course schedule.

Contact Information

Office: East Campus, 1-359
Email: jedwards@valenciacollege.edu
Phone: (407) 582-2790

Online Office Hours

Monday-Friday 3:00-5:00 PM

Catalog Description

Basic introduction to humanities. Focuses on central concepts, historical development, and fundamental nature of philosophy, architecture, music, religion, and art. Concepts from such disciplines integrated with contemporary American culture.

Required Textbook

You do not need to purchase a textbook for this course. All readings will be provided in Canvas.

Essential Course Requirements

  1. Adequate preparation. Students should expect to spend a minimum of six to eight hours a week completing the requirements for this class (including readings, quizzes, discussions, written assignments, exams, and consistent review of the course material).
  2. Participation. This is an online class. Your success will depend on your prompt completion of assigned readings and online activities, including discussions. Failure to post to the discussion boards during the first week will result in your withdrawal as a “no-show.”
  3. Internet access. Because the course content will be delivered via Canvas, all students must have reliable access to the Internet. Students are responsible for checking Canvas regularly for course updates.
  4. Exams. There will be five exams. The deadline dates for these exams are listed on the Course Schedule. These exams may be taken at home on an open-book, open-notes basis.
  5. Quizzes. There will be a quiz on each reading assignment. These quizzes will be administered in Canvas and can be taken at home on an open-book, open-notes basis.
  6. Discussions. Each student will participate in the discussion boards by making original posts, reading classmates’ posts, and commenting on posts, as assigned. Your overall discussion grade will reflect the percentage of discussions completed satisfactorily.
  7. Project. Students will complete a project to enhance their understanding of the humanities. Details are provided in the “Project” folder of our Canvas course.

Course Learning Outcomes

After completing HUM 1020, students will be able to:

  • articulate connections between the humanities and life.
  • interpret works of art, literature, philosophy, or religion.
  • show sensitivity toward different cultural perspectives.

Student Core Competencies

Valencia faculty have defined four interrelated competencies (Value, Think, Communicate, Act) that prepare students to succeed in the world community. These competencies are outlined in the College Catalog. In this course, through classroom lecture and discussion, group work, and other learning activities, you will further develop your mastery of these core competencies.

Grading

A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = below 60

Exams: 14% each
Project: 10%
Average of discussions: 10%
Average of quizzes: 10%

Deadlines for Completion of Coursework

Due dates for each unit's assignments, as well as for papers and exams, are clearly listed on the course schedule, below. Work that is submitted after the due date and time will receive a grade reduction as follows:

  • Up to one week late: 10 points
  • More than one week and up to two weeks late: 30 points
  • More than two weeks and up to three weeks late: 50 points
  • More than three weeks late: No credit will be given.

Communication with the Professor

You may contact me through Canvas messaging or by email. My email address is jedwards@valenciacollege.edu. Please email me only from your Atlas email account (not personal email). I will respond to messages during my next scheduled office hours. Note that if you message me on the weekend, I will likely not respond until my Monday office hours.

Attendance and Participation

Attendance in an online class is understood as the student's completion of assigned activities.

Attendance during the first week of classes

Attendance during the first week of classes is mandatory. Anyone who does not post to the discussion boards during the first week of class will be withdrawn as a no-show.

Attendance during the rest of the term

I expect you to participate in all discussions and complete all assignments throughout the term. However, students will not be withdrawn by the professor. It is entirely the responsibility of students to withdraw themselves, if necessary, prior to the withdrawal date. If you decide to drop the class, do not stop participating and assume you will be withdrawn. You must withdraw yourself or risk receiving the grade your work merits at the end of the grading period.

Electronic Access

Please note that computer failures, power outages, and other difficulties with electronic access will generally not be acceptable excuses for failure to submit work on time. Students should plan ahead and be prepared to make other arrangements, when necessary.

Academic Integrity

All forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited at Valencia College. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, furnishing false information, forgery, alteration or misuse of documents, misconduct during a testing situation, and misuse of identification with intent to defraud or deceive. Any student determined by the professor to have been guilty of engaging in an act of academic dishonesty shall be subject to a range of academic penalties as determined by the professor. A first offense will normally result in a grade of “zero” on the assignment in question. A second offense will result in failure of the course and referral to the appropriate college authorities for possible further action, up to and including expulsion from the college. If the instructor judges a first offense to be particularly egregious, the penalty for a second offense may be applied.

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities who qualify for academic accommodations must provide a notification from the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) and discuss specific needs with the instructor, preferably during the first two weeks of class. The Office for Students with Disabilities determines accommodations based on appropriate documentation of disabilities. The East Campus Office is located in Building 5, Room 216.

Statement of Support for Students with Food, Housing, or Financial Needs

Any student who has difficulty accessing sufficient food to eat, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect his or her performance in the course, is urged to meet with a Counselor in the Advising Center for information about resources that may be available from the college or community.

COVID-19 Statement

If you are unable to participate in the course due to illness, family emergency, etc., please communicate with me as soon as possible in order to create a plan to complete any missed assignments so that your learning can progress in your course. In the case of a prolonged online absence, please communicate with me as soon as possible in order to create a plan for the best course of action.

Student Assessment of Instruction (SAI)

This term, you will receive an invitation through your Valencia e-mail account asking you to complete the
Student Assessment of Instruction (SAI) to provide us with feedback on your experience in this class and to help us to improve the course. The results are released only after grades are submitted. Student names are not included in the results—your responses will be anonymous.

Please send your feedback to Valencia through the SAI when it opens. We want to learn more about your experiences so that we may continue to improve our courses.

Withdrawal Policy

You should be aware that course withdrawals:

  • Will increase the cost of your education.
  • May affect your financial aid status.
  • May affect your transfer grade point average.
  • May result in your having to pay the full cost of instruction fee to retake the course.
  • May affect your anticipated graduation date.
  • May result in your being denied access to limited access programs.
  • May affect your eligibility for the Honors Program.
  • May affect your immigration status if you are attending Valencia on a nonimmigrant visa.
  • Will result in your required repayment of course fees paid by a Bright Futures scholarship.

Before you withdraw:

  • Talk with your professor to discuss your progress in the course.
  • See a Student Services staff member to discuss how a withdrawal will affect your career and education plans and/or the status of your financial aid.

International students, and students receiving financial aid, should be aware of how a “W” will affect their status:
 http://international.valenciacollege.edu/current-students/maintaining-visa-status/Links to an external site.
 http://valenciacollege.edu/finaid/satisfactory_progress.cfmLinks to an external site.

A student is permitted to withdraw from a class on or before the withdrawal deadline (Friday, October 28, 2022). A student is not permitted to withdraw from a class after the withdrawal deadline.

A student who withdraws from a class before the withdrawal deadline will receive a grade of “W.” A student who is withdrawn for administrative reasons at any time will receive a grade of “W” or other grade as determined in consultation with the professor. Any student who withdraws or is withdrawn from a class during a third or subsequent attempt in the same course will be assigned a grade of “F.”

A student who receives a grade of “W” will not receive credit for the course, and the “W” will not be calculated in the student’s grade point average; however, the enrollment will count in the student’s total attempts in the specific course.

If a student withdraws from a class, the student may, upon request and only with the faculty member’s permission (which may be withheld at any time in the sole discretion of the faculty member), continue to attend the course.

 

Complete Course Schedule

All information on this schedule is tentative and subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Changes to this schedule will be announced online. No allowances will be made for students who have missed hearing about changes due to failure to check announcements or email.

 

Week 1

Topics:

  • Introduction to the Course

Assignments:

 

UNIT 1: TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE

Week 2

  • Philosophy and Deductive Reasoning
  • Scholarship and Learning

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Week 3 

SEPTEMBER 5: LABOR DAY (COLLEGE CLOSED)

Topics:

  • Empiricism and Scientific Method
  • Divine Revelation

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Take Exam 1 between Monday, September 12 and Wednesday, September 14 (11:59 PM)

 

UNIT 2: BEAUTY

Week 4

Topic:

  • Classicism

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Week 5

Topics:

  • Expression
  • Complexity and Opulence

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Week 6

Topics:

  • Realism
  • Abstraction

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Take Exam 2 between Monday, October 3 and Wednesday, October 5 (11:59 PM)

 

UNIT 3: THE GOOD

Week 7 

Topic:

  • Personal Morality

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Week 8

Topic:

  • The Good Society

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Take Exam 3 between Monday, October 17 and Wednesday, October 19 (11:59 PM)

 

UNIT 4: ULTIMATE REALITY

Week 9

Topics:

  • Polytheism
  • Monotheism

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Week 10

Topics:

  • Deism and Natural Religion
  • Pantheism, Monism, and Impersonal Concepts of the Ultimate

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Week 11

Topics:

  • Skepticism, Irreligion, and Atheism

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Take Exam 4 between Monday, November 7 and Wednesday, November 9 (11:59 PM)

 

UNIT 5: THE SELF AND ITS DESTINY

Week 12

NOVEMBER 11: VETERANS' DAY (STUDENT HOLIDAY)

Topics:

  • The Nature of the Human Self

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Week 13

Topics:

  • Death and Afterlife

Readings:

Assignments:

 

Week 14

NOVEMBER 23-27: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY (COLLEGE CLOSED)

Topics:

  • Death and Afterlife contd.

Assignments:

 

Week 15 

Submit Project between Monday, November 28, and Sunday, December 4 (11:59 PM)

 

Week 16

Take Exam 5 between Monday, December 5 and Friday, December 9 (11:59 PM)